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Julia Louis-Dreyfus is listening to older women, and you should too

Her podcast, Wiser Than Me, is an absolute delight.

In 2015, Comedy Central premiered “one of the greatest sketches in television history,” according to Variety. The ingenious, gutsy satire starts with Tina Fey, Patricia Arquette, and Amy Schumer picnicking together in the middle of an idyllic field. It’s a momentous day: they’ve gathered to celebrate their great friend and colleague, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. You see, it’s her last f*ckable day. A whip-smart satire about Hollywood's double standard and aging, it stars an A-list ensemble of the industry's wittiest actors who absolutely skewer and outright disprove the belief that youth should be the ultimate prize. Basically, The Substance, just a decade earlier.

Now, Louis-Dreyfus is on a mission to uplift and celebrate the voices of the many iconic women who have come before her. On her podcast, Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (launched in 2023 by Lemonada Media), she champions the women whose shoulders she has stood on; they are the pioneers who have inspired millions and forever altered the fabric of society through the use of their gifts, talent, and hard work. Most need no introduction, with guests including Jane Fonda, Patti Smith, Isabel Allende, Ina Garten, Billie Jean King, and Gloria Steinem, among others. Guided endearingly by their host, Louis-Dreyfus, these women answer every question and avoid nothing, all while remaining kind, observant, and matter-of-fact. They are, as JLD says, "wiser than her." And it doesn't take a genius to realize that we could all benefit from hearing what these incredible women have to say.

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Amy Schumer's 'SNL' monologue about her husband's autism was a funny way to break the stigma

Her husband was diagnosed as an adult.

via Event Photos NYC

Amy Schumer at New York fashion week, 2016.

Comedian Amy Schumer hosted “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday, November 5 and her monologue hit on the midterm elections and her family. It was funny as expected but also shed light on what it’s like living with someone with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Schumer’s husband, restaurateur and chef Chris Fischer, was diagnosed with ASD as an adult, shortly after the couple were married in 2018.

In her monologue, she used humor to dispel some of the stereotypes surrounding ASD, noting that many still think people with the disorder are like Dustin Hoffman’s character in “Rain Man.”

However, ASD presents in many different ways.

“They’re like, ‘Oh, does he love to count? Should we drop a bunch of straws on the floor and he can gather them and count them?’” she joked, making fun of the question. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, that sounds pretty fun. I would like to do that.’”

She added that her husband isn’t great with compliments. “He tells me I look 'comfortable' a lot. We have different love languages,” she admitted. Romance with someone on the spectrum can be a little different as well.

“A couple of weeks ago, we were sitting outside. It was a nice night. It looked like it was going to rain, and I was feeling kind of sentimental, and I was like, ‘You know, even though these past couple of years with the pandemic and everything has been so stressful, still this time being with you, being with our son, they’ve been the best years of my life.’

“And he just looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to go put the windows up in the car,’” she joked. “Yeah, that’s my guy. It’s one of the times we play the game: autism or just a man?’”

When someone of Schumer's profile demonstrates she can be in a loving relationship with someone on the spectrum, it does a wonderful job of destigmatizing the disorder. Also, demonstrating that her husband has some unique ways of showing his affection helps everyone better understand how the disorder manifests in some people.

What’s even more admirable is that Schumer’s work to destigmatize ASD isn’t just for laughs, she has a purpose. During a March 2019 appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” she touted the benefits of getting an ASD diagnosis.

"The tools we’ve been given have made his life so much better and our marriage and our life much more manageable,” the “Trainwreck” actress said, according to Today. “I just wanted to encourage people to not be afraid of that stigma.”

Getting a diagnosis is important because it opens a world of possibilities for those with ASD and the people who love them. After someone has a diagnosis, they can get the correct therapies and learn the best strategies to improve their relationships.

Schumer can joke about her husband’s unique approach to romance because she understands his condition. It’d be a lot less funny if she was in the dark and attributed his reactions to simply a lack of empathy, which may not be the case at all.

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June 1 is Amy Schumer's birthday.

In lieu of cards or well-wishes, however, the comedian is asking her fans for a more sobering gift: for each one of them to give a damn about America's gun violence crisis.

Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images.

In an Instagram post shared with her nearly 7 million followers, Schumer encouraged everyone to wear orange on June 1.

"Hi! Tomorrow is my bday," the star, who turns 37 this year, began her caption. "If you want to say happy birthday to me please do it by joining me for #wearorangeday tomorrow as a sign to end gun violence. Everytown.org can help!"

Since two women were shot and killed at a Louisiana screening of her 2015 comedy, "Trainwreck," Schumer's been a vocal advocate for gun reform on the national stage.

"These shootings have got to stop," she said during a press conference calling for action alongside her cousin, New York Senator Chuck Schumer. "I don't know how else to say it."

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

The Wear Orange Day Schumer's promoting — organized by Everytown for Gun Safety — has been turning tragedy into real change.

The day's historical significance dates back to 2013, when Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed just days after having performed at President Barack Obama's second inaugural parade.

She was 15 years old.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.

In the aftermath of her death, Pendleton's friends wore orange to honor her memory, and Everytown took part. Wear Orange grew from there, becoming a national day of remembrance for all victims of gun violence and a plea to change the status quo.

This year's Wear Orange Day, however, comes at an especially pivotal moment.

With the horrific shootings in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, still fresh in many of our minds, Americans are especially hungry for smarter, sensical gun laws to help keep their communities safe.

With the November midterms six months away, Everytown believes that hunger can save lives.

"Our movement gains momentum when gun sense activists come together to fight for a future free from gun violence," Wear Orange's website reads. "Wear Orange Weekend is an opportunity for us to show the country just how powerful we are."

You can be part of the solution. Find a local Wear Orange event in your community.

It looks like Amy Schumer is done with Sinclair Broadcasting.

If your TV station is discreetly pushing President Donald Trump's agenda, Amy Schumer doesn't want to talk to them.

The actress, who's currently promoting her new comedy "I Feel Pretty," just reportedly canceled an interview with Washington D.C.-based WJLA, an ABC affiliate, BuzzFeed News learned.

The station is owned by conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which is facing intense backlash after it forced local news anchors across the country to read from a script blasting the "false news" coming from other media sources.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

Many, including revered journalist Dan Rather, saw the script-reading as a blatant attempt to push Trump's narrative that too many news outlets are biased against the president and cannot be trusted.

"News anchors looking into camera and reading a script handed down by a corporate overlord, words meant to obscure the truth not elucidate it, isn't journalism," Rather wrote in a viral tweet on April 2. "It's propaganda."

Sinclair's executive chairman, David Smith, has a cozy relationship with the president.

In 2016, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner told business executives the Trump campaign struck a deal with the broadcasting company to push more favorable news for the then-candidate, Politico reported.

It appears Sinclair — the largest broadcast news company in the U.S., owning or operating nearly 200 stations — is the one with the bias problem.

Here's an eerie video made by Deadspin that curated several local news segments featuring anchors reading from the pro-Trump script:

Clearly, the video made an impression on Schumer.

The comedian retweeted Jimmy Kimmel, who, on March 31, blasted the frightening script-reading mash-up as "dangerous to our democracy."

Image via Amy Schumer/Twitter.

A source familiar with the matter told BuzzFeed News that Schumer hopes to never have to work with a Sinclair-owned station again.

As some have wondered, will other public figures follow suit?

Amy Schumer captured her dad's reaction to meeting Goldie Hawn. It's priceless.

Amy Schumer's father, Gordon, adores Goldie Hawn.

Or, to put it as Schumer did on her Instagram, Hawn is "the love of his life" — which makes what happened on May 2, 2017, even better.

Schumer and Hawn have become close after filming "Snatched," a comedy in which Hawn plays Schumer's mother.

The stars of the film are in the middle of a press junket ahead of Mother's Day weekend, when the film will be released in theaters. The occasion allowed for Gordon, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, to finally meet his Hollywood idol. Schumer, of course, was there to record it all.

Watch Gordon break down in tears before meeting Hawn in Schumer's sweet Instagram video:

"Why are you crying?" Amy asks her teary dad moments before Hawn walks into the room. Gordon pauses for a moment before quipping, "the weather," to laughs.

The video captures a heartfelt moment that becomes even sweeter once you understand the bond Schumer and her dad share.

Gordon was diagnosed with M.S. when Schumer was a child, and it has shaped her career and comedy in meaningful ways.

"It's the most painful thing in the world to just watch this person that you love ultimately just digress and kind of decompose," Schumer told NPR in 2013. "And it's too heavy and you have to find a way to laugh at it."

Gordon was the inspiration behind Schumer's father in the comedian's hit 2015 film "Trainwreck," where actor Colin Quinn played a flawed (but somehow likable) curmudgeon of a dad who also had M.S. The complicated, contentious, loving relationship between Schumer and Quinn on-screen reflected the dynamic between Schumer and her real-life dad.

Gordon's diagnosis decades ago also inspired Schumer to be a champion for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, redirecting the extra attention she often gets from fame to the group's amazing work.

And in December 2016, Schumer once again showed the world how much her father means to her when she bought back her dad's old farmhouse — a property the family had lost many years ago, shortly after Gordon's diagnosis and after his furniture business went belly-up, pulling the Schumers into bankruptcy.

Having a sick parent is tough. But for Schumer, it provides at least one upside: It helps you cherish the little things.

Such as a funny, sweet Instagram video of your dad meeting his idol.

"I love to laugh," Schumer told "CBS Sunday Morning" back in 2015. "I seek laughter all the time. I think that's something that also comes with having a sick parent, is you don't know what's going to happen. ... I want to, like, experience all I can and make as many memories as I can."

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'We stand together.'

On Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, more than 2 million people all over the world marched for gender equality rights. Many celebrities were right there with them.

After all, female celebrities — no matter how famous they are — will not escape the gender injustices that are likely to arise in our new administration. So they took their place in the crowds alongside fellow activists, loudly echoing their sentiments every step of the way, as per the Women's March mission:

Some also used their celebrity status to push the message out even further by giving bold, impassioned speeches in front of the masses.

Scarlett Johansson at the Women's March on Washington. Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images.

But whether they were in front of a microphone, holding a sign, or sporting a pink pussy hat, their presence among the masses was inspiring. So much of the march was about inclusivity and sharing that purpose with like-minded celebrities reminded people that no one is above that concept.

Here are 27 activist celebrities who marched for the cause.

1. Ashley Judd gave a heart-stopping rendition of Nina Donovan's "Nasty Woman" poem.

2. Elizabeth Gilbert brought an appropriately revised copy of her book, "Eat, Pray, Love."

3. Ariana Grande marched with her female role model — her grandmother.

4. Connie Britton rocked a Planned Parenthood poster in Park City, Utah.

5. Katy Perry made a new feminist friend at the Los Angeles march.

6. Jessica Chastain casually handed out love buttons at the march in Washington, D.C. NBD.

Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images.

7. Drew Barrymore's daughter Frankie's sign was honest and on point.

8. If anyone messes with Melissa Benoist (aka Supergirl) and her vagina, they'll be very, very sorry.

9. I'd say Brie Larson's fans appreciated her presence among them.

10. America Ferrera's speech at the March on Washington kicked off the day. Watch it here.

Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images.

11. Ian McKellen marched in London with a poster of Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard. Needless to say, people couldn't get enough of him.

12. Scarlett Johansson's speech on how Planned Parenthood helped during her teen years brought the house down.

13. Gillian Anderson sported a "We the People" poster designed by Shepard Fairey.

14. Mandy Moore paired up with the inimitable Jane Fonda.

15. "Hidden Figures" actress Janelle Monae's speech says it all.

16. Maggie Gyllenhaal and her brother Jake did the Women's March on Washington sibling-style.

17. Amber Tamblyn and Amy Schumer mutually supported women's rights (and NASA).

18. Sometimes there's an actor who was in a movie your protest poster is quoted from, and everything's suddenly right with the world.

19. A highlight from one epic speech by Gloria Steinem.

20. Chelsea Handler, together with Charlize Theron and Mary McCormack, were "loud and proud" at Sundance in Park City, Utah.

21. Nick Offerman wore a pussy hat with pride (as well as some snow).

22. "Orange Is the New Black's" Jackie Cruz showed off major sign skills.

23. And Amy Poehler would not be Amy Poehler without creating a hilariously awkward situation.

24. Comedian Jenny Slate carried a sign for someone who couldn't make it to the march.

25. Alicia Keys took sisterhood selfies.

26. Zendaya was just one more in the over 500,000 person crowd in Washington, D.C.

27. And, finally, the feminist who started #HeForShe did her part for gender equality while hanging with her mom, taking photos of kids, and laughing with strangers who are now friends.

Seeing the icons we look up to marching for what's right is one heck of a reminder that we're far from alone in this fight.

Their presence at these protests makes a difference on many levels, but perhaps the most significant is showing we are all unified under one purpose. And we are going to keep defending each other and every group marginalized under Trump's administration.

Over the next four years, we will be up against a government that may try to strip us of our human rights at every turn. The more powerful, publicly known voices who stand with us and amplify our frustrations, the harder it will be for them to be ignored.

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Amy Schumer's amazing gift to her father is the definition of dad-daughter goals.

Best holiday gift-giver of 2016: Amy Schumer.

At a very young age — long before she was selling out Madison Square Garden or starring in blockbuster films — Amy Schumer learned about the sting of heartache.

Her father, Gordon, once owned a successful furniture company, which meant Amy was born into relatively well-off circumstances on Manhattan's Upper East Side. But things took a dramatic turn long before she reached her teen years.

Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images.

When Amy was just 9 years old, Gordon Schumer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It was life-changing in more ways than one.

To make matters worse, the diagnosis coincided with her father's business failing, according to Huffington Post. Unable to cover the overwhelming medical costs, the family went bankrupt. The pain and instability that ensued helped mold Amy's comedy for decades. The storyline of her 2015 film "Trainwreck," for instance, was largely autobiographical; her on-screen dad (played by actor Colin Quinn) really did live in a senior center with multiple sclerosis.

"It's the most painful thing in the world to just watch this person that you love ultimately just digress and kind of decompose," Schumer told NPR in 2013. "And it's too heavy and you have to find a way to laugh at it."

It's clear Amy's father has made an enormous impact on her life. And this week, she was able to thank him in a very big way.

On Dec. 19, 2016, Amy announced that she bought back her father's farm — a property the family was forced to give up long ago due to the bankruptcy.

On Instagram, Amy shared an adorable video of her much younger self on the farm, about to run away into a towering maze of corn.

"My dad was taunting me because I wanted him to come with me," she wrote in the caption. "We lost the farm when we lost everything else. But today I got to buy it back for him."

Although Schumer's act is an admirable one, it's also a harsh reminder that she's definitely one of the very lucky ones.

The comedian's millionaire status means she's, of course, more able than most to open up her wallet to help her aging parent. But, put in historical context, Schumer is even more privileged than many might realize.

A new study by The Equality of Opportunity Project found that half of 30-year-olds won't make as much money as their parents at the same age, Time's Money magazine reported. It's a dramatically different figure than Americans born in 1940, who had a 92% chance of out-earning their parents.

Most of us won't have the luxury of buying up old properties for our parents, to say the least.

But Schumer's gift is also a beautiful reminder that giving back to the people we treasure most — regardless of the price tag involved — may just be one of the best ways to spend our money.

And it never hurts to keep things light either — especially when life gets the most serious.

"I love to laugh," Schumer told "CBS Sunday Morning" in 2015. "I seek laughter all the time. I think that's something that also comes with having a sick parent is you don't know what's going to happen, and so I'll be like, 'I'm psyched my legs still work.' And I want to, like, experience all I can and make as many memories as I can."

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